Coco Crisp, right, celebrates with teammates after hitting the game-winning RBI single in the ninth inning. / Kelley L Cox, US PRESSWIRE

by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports

by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports

OAKLAND - The smiling food-services employee at the Oakland Coliseum looked around and said to no one in particular, "Report to work tomorrow everybody."

Indeed, there will be baseball Thursday at O.co Coliseum, against all conceivable odds.

The Oakland Athletics, down 3-1 and three outs away from elimination, pounded Detroit Tigers closer Jose Valverde for four hits and three runs in the ninth inning Wednesday to pull off a stunning 4-3 victory that tied their American League Division Series at two wins apiece.

Coco Crisp's two-out single drove in Seth Smith with the winning run as the A's wiped out a two-run deficit in the ninth inning of a postseason game for the first time since 1929.

The MO was old hat for Oakland, which led the majors with 14 walk-off victories, but the magnitude of the occasion was not.

The A's came home down 2-0 in the series and this was just the second time they've ever won back-to-back elimination games. In the previous one, they beat the New York Mets in the 1973 World Series by taking Games 6 and 7.

"Obviously we don't ever want to be behind in the ninth, but we definitely feel confident in that situation," said Josh Donaldson, who followed Josh Reddick's leadoff single in the ninth with a double to the fence in left. Smith drove them both home with a double, the third hit in a row to greet Valverde.

"We've been there so much this year that it's not that strange for us," Donaldson said. "It is a little bit different situation with the game on the line, the season on the line, but we're not going to stop until they tell us we have to."

The end to the A's magical ride seemed to have arrived in the ninth, after Detroit starter Max Scherzer and four relievers held them to four hits while striking out 11.

A pinch-hit RBI single by rookie Avisail Garcia had increased the Tigers' lead to 3-1 in the eighth, and Oakland wasted a chance to narrow the margin in the bottom half when Joaquin Benoit struck out Brandon Moss with two runners on.

That only added to the drama in the ninth.

After Smith's tying double, Valverde got the next two outs without the runner advancing, but Crisp slapped a single to right to become a walk-off hero for the third time this year.

"Walking up to the plate, I kind of got emotional and had to calm myself down," Crisp said. "I was like, 'Here's the moment that you've been psyching yourself up for.' I got overly emotional and had to dial it back and refocus on the task at hand."

Per Oakland tradition, Crisp was hit with a pie in the face as a congratulatory gesture. The A's made such a habit of winning in cardiac fashion during the season, they evolved from using shaving cream to whipping cream in the pies, the better to avoid stinging the hero's eyes."It's tasty, because at this time you're a little hungry," Crisp said with a smile. "It's a great feeling."

Detroit, which opened with two wins at home before losing close games the last two nights, will send out defending AL MVP and Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander against A's rookie Jarrod Parker for Game 5.

The Tigers have to like the matchup, but then again, they also must have liked their chances when Valverde took the mound looking to sew up the victory. He converted 35 of 40 save opportunities during the season, a year after going 49-for-49.

"They basically charged him and hit him," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "He probably didn't get the ball located where he wanted."

Valverde said his fastball felt good and lively, and he credited the Oakland hitters for making solid contact. As an experienced closer, he has handled these situations before and said he would be ready to respond Thursday, but acknowledged the loss hurt.

"It's not easy, but I'm a veteran and I know what to do," Valverde said in Spanish. "You feel it more right now at the ballpark, but it will be different tomorrow, and I'll try to do a better job for my team and the Detroit fans."